Confused, Lost, And Hunted
by CrazedAuthor17
Summary: Selphia has fallen into disrepair. The land is dying and a great evil is stirring. Only Elli and Karoline, the two amnesic princesses, are left to save the town. Now, they have to give each other the strength to protect Selphia from danger as men and monsters alike hunt them down. To make matters worse, they begin to fall for a clumsy butler-in-training and a blunt fisherman.
1. Two Amnesiacs

**Okay, so this is a story I've had sitting in my mind for a while now. I only recently discovered Rune Factory 4, but I'm a huge fan of Harvest Moon and figured this would be fun too. I was right. I have become COMPLETELY OBSESSED! I love this game so much! :D**

**Anyway, here is the full summary: Selphia has fallen into disrepair. The land is dying, along with its divine dragon, and a great evil is stirring. Only Elli and Karoline, the two amnesic princesses who fell from the sky only days apart, are left to save the town. Now, despite having no previous connections, they must give each other the strength to protect Selphia from danger as men and monsters alike try to hunt them down. Things only get worse when the past neither can remember comes back to haunt them and one girl has to struggle with the reality of her identity. One wrong move leads to certain death. To make matters worse, the princesses start to fall for a certain clumsy butler-in-training and blunt, but awkward fisherman. **

**Just for your information, Elli is meant to represent Frey, the default female protagonist, while Karoline is more of my OC. This story is like a retelling of the events in the game, but with my own twists and extras. Also, most of the story is told from Karoline's prospective and she is the main protagonist, but Elli still has her moments! The two are mostly seen together.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rune Factory 4 or any of it's characters. Just my OCs. :)**

* * *

><p>"Hey… are you okay?"<p>

The girl lying on the floor groaned in pain. She felt like she had been run over by a stampede of animals. However, from the sound of someone's voice calling to her, the girl managed to slowly open her eyes. Another girl, about the same age as her, stood above her and smiled.

"Oh good! You're alive!"

"Is she alright, Miss Elli?" a man's voice asked from behind the two.

The girl apparently named Elli turned and nodded. "Yeah, I think she's fine Mr. Volkanon." She looked back at the person on the floor. "You are alright, right?"

The mysterious girl blinked her confused brown eyes. She could hardly believe what she was seeing. Standing above her was a teenage girl with bright mint hair and equally bright green eyes. Her hair was tied into two long pigtails that reached her waist and she wore what looked like a green dress mixed with battle armor.

But that was not what was unbelievable. Behind Elli, staring the mysterious girl down, was a large green dragon! The dragon had long wings with feathers of every color and stood at almost the height of the room, which appeared to be a central chamber of some kind. The entire chamber gave the girl the sense that this was a castle of some kind, considering how grand and regal it seemed.

A curious expression was etched on the dragon's face, but also a look of annoyance. Something about the teenager apparently really irritated it.

An uneasy feeling filled the pit of the girl's stomach. "I-I've been better… but how… did I get here?"

"You fell from the sky."

The girl's jaw dropped. "I fell from the sky?!"

Elli laughed. "Uh huh! Believe it or not, I know exactly how you feel. Here," She held out her hand. "Let me help you up. I'm Elli, by the way."

"Thank you. I'm… Karoline," she explained as she was pulled up, still grappling with the fact that she fell from the heavens. However, once she was on her feet, she pushed her brown hair out of the way and furrowed her eyebrows. "I think…"

Elli raised an eyebrow. "You think?"

Karoline gazed down at her feet. "I-I actually… don't remember who I am…"

"You have amnesia?" Elli gasped.

Karoline nodded. Her mind was as blank as you can get it. Not to mention, she was in great pain. It did indeed feel like she fell from the sky as her back and head were throbbing like mad. Perhaps Karoline could have thought more clearly if her muscles didn't scream with each step.

The man named Volkanon, who had been standing quietly by the dragon, raced over towards Karoline and smothered her in a back-breaking hug, bawling like a baby. The girl had no time to react and stood completely still as the strange man strangled her.

"Waaaaaaaah! It must be horrible to lose all your memories like this! I can't imagine how you feel!" Volkanon cried. Then, he released Karoline, all the tears on his face magically vanishing. "But don't you worry! Miss Elli is in your exact same position and I will help in whatever way I can!"

Karoline looked at Elli. "You have amnesia too?"

"Yep!" the teenager exclaimed almost proudly. "We're like sisters! We both fell from the sky onto Venti AND we both lost our memories! That's so funny!"

"Hilarious," Karoline said dryly. "Wait, who's V-"

"AHEM!"

Everyone turned towards the dragon. It continued to glare at Karoline, causing her to shift uncomfortably on her feet. However, eventually it looked over at Volkanon.

"Volkanon, I ask that you would please allow me to speak privately with Elli and Karoline. There is much I need to discuss," the dragon boomed.

"Yes Lady Ventuswill!"

Without as much as a breath, the old man swept out of the room obediently. Elli walked over towards the dragon casually, like she did this every day. Karoline, on the other hand, felt weak in the knees and ready to throw up. A dragon the size of a building wanted to talk to her? More like eat her! Why was this happening?

Suddenly, Karoline felt someone link their arm with hers. Elli smiled, pulling the apprehensive girl along.

"Come on!"

"Uuuuh…"

Knowing she could not fight Elli in her condition, Karoline finally moved forward. Once she was face to face with the dragon, she felt her legs begin to shake. However, when Elli gave the girl a reassuring grin, she took a deep breath and stared the dragon right in the eye.

"Do you know who I am?" the dragon asked.

"No."

"Hmm," the dragon pondered for a moment before declaring, "I am Ventuswill, the divine wind! One of the legendary Native Dragons governing this world! How have you come to be here?"

Karoline swallowed hard. "I-I don't know."

"You have no memory of your fall onto my head?"

"I-I fell on your… h-head?" Karoline took a quick breath and glanced at Elli. "Wait, didn't you say something about th-that?"

The green-haired girl nodded. "Yeah. You fell and hit Venti just like I did a few days ago… so you can stop acting all high and mighty, Venti!"

"Huh?" Karoline said surprised. Did Elli just… sass the dragon?

"Hmph," Ventuswill huffed, "What are you doing?"

Furrowing her eyebrows, Karoline switched her gaze between the dragon and Elli, back and forth. Not only was Elli sassing Ventuswill, but Ventuswill's tone just did a complete 180. Her stiff, formal speech changed to a more child-like and friendly way of speaking. In a way it calmed Karoline down some, but now she was scared for Elli.

However, the teen just cocked her hip and folded her arms. "You don't need to be so serious to Karoline. She's scared enough already."

"I-I'm not scared!" Karoline protested, blushing. "I'm just… still shocked about everything that's going on."

"My point is," Elli continued, "that you don't have to be all formal around Karoline, Venti."

The dragon clicked her tongue. "That's twice you've used my nickname in front of other people! I asked you not to do that! You're supposed to be the only one who knows… but I guess the damage is done. Thanks to you, Karoline knows my secret."

"I-I do?"

"Yep!" Elli laughed, "You see, Venti's actually really informal, but she acts all stiff and tough to 'keep up appearances'. But I'm her friend and I know the truth, and since you're like me you should too!"

"Hey! I don't need you explaining it for me!" Venti said indignantly.

The green-haired girl laughed as the dragon glared at her. "Sorry."

Karoline raised an eyebrow. "So Ventuswill is-"

"No, call me Venti. Since you know my secret I'd prefer that name."

"Uuuuh… oooo-kay… so _Venti _is actually very informal, but she, uh, _you_ act formal because of appearances. Is that right?"

"Yes," the dragon confirmed.

"But what does-"

"We can talk more about me later," Venti interrupted. "Right now, we need to decide what to do with you Karoline. You're a stranger with no memories of yourself or where you came from. I assume you would want to stay here for the time being until everything gets cleared up, right?"

"I… guess, but if I stay here, where will I live?"

Inhaling dramatically, Elli bounded over to Karoline with a huge grin on her face, her hands shaking excitedly. "You can live with me!"

"Huh?"

Venti nodded. "That might be best. Since you two are in similar positions, it would make sense to stick together. You can help Elli with her chores and duties too. That would make things easier on the both of you."

"Yes!" Elli shouted eagerly, "Then we really could be like sisters! Two amnesic sisters!"

As Elli bounced up and down, Karoline stared in disbelief. She had apparently fallen from the sky a few minutes ago and yet here was a girl who was eager to invite her into her home. And there was such trust in her eyes, like she was really her sibling. Karoline was stunned.

"Thank you, but… where do you live?"

"I live here, at the castle," Elli explained, her green eyes shimmering.

Karoline raised an eyebrow. "Why do you live here?"

"Elli is the acting princess of Selphia," Venti said like it was obvious, "Where else would she live?"

The brunette's jaw dropped and she swung her head around to gape at Elli. "You're the princess?! But I thought you said you have amnesia!"

Giggling, the apparent princess rubbed the back of her head as she blushed. "Yeah, it's a long story. I'll tell you about it when we get to my room." She looked to Venti. "Can we go now?"

"I suppose, but Karoline," the girl gazed up at the dragon, nodding, "I want you to come and talk to me again tomorrow morning after you finish helping Elli. I will explain what we will do with you then, but for now get some rest!"

"O-okay," Karoline breathed, now realizing how tired she felt. "Which way to your room?"

Elli grabbed her arm impatiently. "This way!"

She began leading Karoline towards a door on the right wall. With one last look at the central chamber they were in, the brunette cracked a smile and waved at Ventuswill. If she wasn't mistaken, she could have sworn she saw Venti smile back.

* * *

><p>"You're kidding!" Karoline gasped.<p>

"Nope!" Elli giggled, hugging her pillow.

The two girls were sitting on Elli's bed as the princess told the story of how she became the princess. The moon had begun its descent across the sky, making it very late at night. The tale Elli told took much longer than expected since she had lost her memories before she fell, unlike Karoline who lost them _because_ of the fall. Plus, the green-haired girl did not want to miss a bit of detail.

In a state of shock, Karoline tried to process the information. "So you were kicked off an airship and fell a hundred feet onto Venti, mistaken for the princess, and then Arthur, the actual prince, just handed you the job when he arrived?"

"Basically, yeah. Arthur said he had business here that would be easier to do if he didn't have to deal with 'prince duties'. So, since I had already stared, he gave me the job."

Karoline shook her head. "That seems kinda… irresponsible… but if he has other stuff to do…"

"Yeah," Elli insisted, "And it's not like we completely switched lives! He's still a prince of Norad. It's just now I am responsible for Selphia as its princess and I have duties to this town."

"Huh, interesting. Do you plan on staying in Selphia?"

Shrugging, Elli placed her chin on her knees. "I don't know. I mean, I already love it here and I've only been here three days, but… there might be some other place that I'm meant to be."

The teen kept quiet, lost in her thoughts. Honestly, she felt like there was something she was missing- something right in front of her. Dwelling on the problem was doing no good, though. Eventually, Elli figured out that going with her gut was better than stumbling around while she tried to remember a purpose that could very well be long gone. This was partially why she jumped at taking Karoline in with her. A girl with the same memory issues as her who fell from the sky? Obviously the two were destined to work together; Elli's gut told her so.

Suddenly, Elli flopped on the bed, groaning. Karoline jumped and gaped at the girl.

"Elli?! Are you alright?!"

Opening one of her eyes, Elli threw her arms up. "I'm tiiiiiiiiiiired…"

"Wha? You…" Karoline heaved a sigh and leaned against the wall. "You're really weird, you know that?"

"Hee hee! I know!" she snickered. "Anyway," Elli said, popping back up and throwing her pillow down, "We should get to sleep! We have a long day of farm work ahead of us and I gotta introduce you to the town!"

Karoline cocked her head. "Farm work? I thought you were a princess."

"Yep! A princess who does farm work and gets up at six in the morning, so let's go!" Elli leapt off the bed, dug through her bag, and tossed a pair of sleeping clothes to Karoline. "Here, you can have these. I don't like them, so I'll never wear them."

"O-okay…"

Looking at the pajamas, Karoline noticed that they were a faded sky blue on the body and white on the trim. Instead of a nightgown like Elli was wearing, the clothes were a night shirt and some pants to match. The cloth was soft and light, perfect for warm spring nights. Karoline smiled.

"Thanks. They're nice." Slipping them on, the brunette looked over at her new friend. "Why don't you like them?"

Elli stuck out her tongue. "Who wants to sleep in pants?! Nightgowns are much more comfortable. Plus, I'm not a fan of the color. Blue's alright I guess, but green or pink is much better."

"Ah," Karoline laughed, "You're a girly-girl."

Elli smirked. "And you're a tomboy."

"Maybe."

"I can see that we're going to get along _great_!" the green-haired girl said, shaking her head.

The two girls laughed at each other before finally crawling into bed. Since there was only one bed in the room, the pair had to share it. Thankfully, the bed was rather large- this was a princess' room after all- and there was no lack of space.

Karoline laid down on the side next to the wall. Her back was to Elli as she stared at the stone a few inches away. Despite it happening only a couple hours, her fall from the sky and introduction to a giant green dragon and the amnesic princess of Selphia felt like a lifetime ago. The first day of her new life was already off to a crazy start. And something told her that it was only going to get crazier.

"Night Karoline."

"_But," _Karoline thought to herself, _"Maybe crazy won't be so bad."_

She smiled. "Night."

* * *

><p>"Good morning princesses!"<p>

Karoline jolted awake at the sound of a very enthusiastic male's voice. Her short brown hair was tussled all over her face and during the night she seemed to have slid even closer to the wall. Brushing the loose strands out of her eyes, Karoline glanced over towards where she heard the voice.

A tall, blue-haired man, probably only a year or two older than her, stood at the foot of the bed with an arm across his chest, ready to bow at a moment's notice. He wore a black and white suit with a tie and all the works. From his attire and posture, Karoline guessed that he was a butler of some kind.

Elli, whose long green hair managed to somehow stay out of her face, shot up and groggily said, "Mm, good morning Vishnal…"

"Vishnal?" Karoline raised an eyebrow at the visitor. "Um, hello."

Vishnal gave her a huge grin. "Ah, you must be Karoline. I am Vishnal, a butler-in-training. I've been training under Mr. Volkanon's guidance for a while now, but one day I'll become a full-fledged butler!"

"Um, okay," the girl said, confused as to why he decided to spell out his whole life dream when she didn't even ask.

"I heard from Lady Ventuswill that we had a new princess and here you are!" he continued with incredible enthusiasm.

"'Princess'?!" Karoline exclaimed. "Heh, hardly. I'm just the new girl who fell from the sky last night."

The young man looked confused. "Really? I could have sworn that Lady Ventuswill spoke of you as the new princess this morning."

"She… she did?" Karoline glanced over frightfully at Elli. "Do you, uh-"

Elli held her hand up. "Don't ask me. Ask Venti when you go talk to her. In the meantime," she hopped out of bed, "let's get some work done!"

"Ah, yes!" Vishnal said, clapping his hands together. "I have to show you the basics of farming! Meet me outside in the field when you are dressed Princess Karoline!"

With that, the butler-in-training raced out of the room through the back door. Karoline took a moment to process all the information.

"Venti's making _me_ a princess? A girl with amnesia who just appeared last night? What is she thinking?! You can't trust an amnesic person!"

Elli gave her a dirty look as she pulled on her breastplate. Cringing, Karoline laughed nervously.

"Uh heh heh… no offense."

"Sure," Elli sighed, tying up her hair into two pigtails again. "But never mind that. We have a farm to take care of!" She paused for a moment and picked up the clothes Karoline wore yesterday. "Um, do you have any other outfits?"

"Not unless a suitcase of mine fell from the sky as well. That's all I got."

"Well, they'll have to do for now until we can buy you some new clothes," the green-haired teenager said, tossing the outfit to the brunette.

Since Karoline didn't have any time to spare the other day, she had not even glanced at her outfit. Upon looking at it now, she noticed that it was similar to Elli's outfit as it looked like casual wear mixed in with battle armor. She had a silver breastplate over a blue long-sleeved shirt like Elli's brown breastplate over a green shirt. The main difference was that instead of a skirt under a larger skirt, the bottoms were a pair of pants. Karoline simply shrugged. She'd take pants over skirts any day.

As Karoline put on the outfit back on, Elli scanned her from head to toe, her lips thrusted to one side as she thought. "You sure you don't want to wear one of my-"

"No."

Forcing a laugh, Elli sweat dropped. "Ah, right… tomboy…"

Once the pair was dressed, they went outside. Vishnal was waiting in the middle of a… very weed-filled field. Almost every inch of the dirt was covered in weeds, branches, stumps, or rocks of varying sizes. A small patch of tilled land sat in the corner of the field, which Karoline guessed was Elli's handiwork. A few sprouts were already visible above the ground.

Karoline gazed at Elli with an expression that plainly said _"Really?"_. Elli shook her head.

"Hurricane," she whispered as she walked over to her tiny patch of plants.

"Ah," Karoline whispered back.

"Princess!"

Karoline raised an eyebrow at the blue-haired butler as she moved towards him. "Um, you don't have to call me 'princess'. Just call me Karoline."

Vishnal stared at her. "Mm, no I don't think I can do that. Not that there's anything wrong with your name!" he added. "It's just that it doesn't feel right calling you that. As your butler I must be professional, so please allow me to continue calling you 'princess'!"

"O-okay," Karoline agreed reluctantly.

"_Though I don't know why calling me 'princess' is more professional than calling me by my first name," _the brunette thought.

"Anyway," Karoline snapped back to attention as Vishnal moved on, "Let me show you how to farm." He handed her a very old-looking hoe. "You use this to till the land so you can plant seeds. Try it out somewhere. However, you first need to clear a spot as most of the field is overrun with weeds."

"Heh, yeah I noticed." The girl walked automatically to the opposite corner of Elli's patch of plants. "I guess this is as good a spot as any."

She yanked out a couple of leafy weeds before thrusting her hoe down into the dirt, creating an imperfect square of tilled land. Karoline repeated this three more times, sometimes kicking rocks or branches away. Within a minute, she had four squares tilled. The edges were shaky and uneven, with the first two squares a good bit longer than the other two.

Karoline cringed at the poor attempts. Vishnal, on the other hand, looked impressed.

"Wow! You have a lot of force behind your swings! Keep practicing and you'll be an expert in no time!"

The brunette flushed a light pink. "Thanks."

Next, Vishnal gave her some seeds and a watering can. By the end of his lesson, Karoline had four squares of turnips planted and watered. Smiling to herself, Karoline felt accomplished. This was the first time she had held a farming tool (according to her memory or lack thereof) and yet she still managed to use it well. That was something to be proud of.

Karoline also learned a bit more about the world when the topic of runes came up. The world apparently ran on the power of runes as they are the life energy of everything organic. Sometimes they even appeared when harvesting crops as crystalized magic balls and if you touched them they'd give you powers of some kind. The whole idea seemed crazy to Karoline, but so did her entire life so far.

After a few more explanations, Vishnal finally decided it was time to take his leave. He had to get back to his "butler-ly duties". As he left, the two girls started heading to Ventuswill's chamber, hoping for answers about what Vishnal said about Karoline being a new princess.

Karoline folded her arms across her chest. "He certainly is, uh, eager."

"Yeah," Elli giggled, "I think it's kinda cute, though. Nothing ever stops him. He's the poster child for perseverance!"

"Ah, I see," Karoline snickered, raising an eyebrow, "But crushing on your butler, Elli? It doesn't seem appropriate."

Gasping, the green-haired girl smacked Karoline on her neck. "I am _not_ crushing on him!"

"Ow! Geez! I was only joking! You didn't have to hit me!" The brunette glared at her. "And why'd you aim for my neck?"

"I _was_ aiming for your head, but you're taller than I expected," Elli said matter-of-factly.

"Huh," Karoline breathed, just now realizing that she was a couple inches or so taller than Elli. The top of Elli's head only reached Karoline's eyes. This caused the girl to smirk. "You're short."

"Hey! I'll have you know that I am 5'3"! That's pretty average!"

"Whatever you say, shorty."

With that comment, Karoline took another smack to the neck. This was the start of a beautiful friendship.

* * *

><p>"Ah, Karoline, there you are."<p>

The girl nodded. "Lady V- uh, Venti… you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes, we need to talk about what you'll be doing here," the dragon explained.

Elli stood at Karoline's side, a curious expression on her face. "We heard a rumor that Karoline's another new princess from Vishnal- apparently one amnesiac as princess wasn't enough."

Venti looked shocked, but then smiled. "Well it seems he's spoiled the surprise."

"What?!" the girls shouted in unison.

"Ha ha ha! Yes, Karoline will be Selphia's second princess, working alongside you, Elli. I've already discussed it with Arthur and he thinks the idea of you two making decisions together is great. That way you can lean on each other and combine your ideas to better Selphia. Isn't that a nice plan?"

Karoline looked both outraged and terrified. "What?! No! No, no, no, no! That's a terrible plan! How are we- two people who just met- going to work together on something as big as an entire town?! It's- it's impossible!"

"It's not impossible because you two complement each other well," Venti explained, still smiling despite Karoline's outburst. "Elli said so herself. You two are like sisters. You both give off an aura of royalty and you both hold the power of the Earthmates. It's a perfect match!"

"The power of the what?" Elli and Karoline asked together.

At their reaction, Venti laughed heartily. "Ha ha! You even talk together!" After a few seconds, she calmed down again and answered the pair's question. "I suppose your amnesia has made you forget even this, but the two of you have a rare gift: you're both Earthmates."

"What are Earthmates?" Elli asked with her head cocked.

"Earthmates are those who can communicate with the Earth and monsters. They have long been enriching the Earth through farming."

"Oooh! So that's why you had me take over the farm," Elli realized.

"Yes, both you and Karoline are naturally suited to work in the fields. You have a special connection to the Earth and it shows in your farming."

"So us being Earthmates also makes us a good choice to rule a town since we are… compatible, or something. Is that right?" Karoline questioned impatiently.

"Yep!"

The brunette was silent for a few seconds, glaring at her shoes. Finally, she sighed and shook her head.

"I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

Venti didn't answer. However, her cheesy grin spoke volumes. Even Elli smirked a little. Karoline threw her hands up.

"I'll take that as a 'no'." She heaved another sigh. "I guess I'm a princess now."

Elli raised an eyebrow at her, still smiling. "You make that sound like a bad thing."

"Well…"

At Karoline's obvious apprehension, the green-haired girl gave her a thumbs-up. "Don't worry! You'll love it here! Remember, I'm here for you too! We're both in the same position." She flung her arm around Karoline's shoulder. "Come on, you can did it sis!"

Stunned at first, Karoline blushed, unsure what to think. Then, what Elli had just said sunk in. The two were like official sisters now. They were the two princesses of the land and they could rely on each other from now on. Together both could achieve what neither could do alone. In a way, that made Karoline feel completely at home.

Karoline beamed. She was a princess of Selphia.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, how was that? Sorry it jumped around at lot and not much happened, but I have to start somewhere! XD Leave me a review if you liked this! I really enjoy getting them! :D<strong>

**Also, Karoline totally just called Elli and Vishnal as an item. XP**


	2. A Learning Experience

**Yay! Second chapter and there's action in it! :D I hope it's interesting action... Sorry if I'm no good at writing fighting scenes.**

**Anyway, in this chapter you will learn more about Elli and Karoline's personalities and even meet a couple of familiar characters! I hope you like it! ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of Rune Factory 4's characters! Only my OCs.  
><strong>

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><p>Karoline almost died about ten seconds ago. If she had not ducked at the last moment, she would have taken an axe to the face. The orc she was fighting seemed to realize this and stomped one of its feet, annoyed that she didn't let it chop off her head. Karoline gripped her sword tighter- her hands shaking so hard she just about dropped her weapon- and ran the orc through before it could retaliate. This caused the monster to fall and burst into white lights, flying far away from its opponent.<p>

Breathing a sigh of relief, Karoline leaned up against a tree and slowly sat down. She had been a princess for about a week now and nothing was going her way.

After she was introduced to Arthur, the actual prince, and told of her position and duties, Elli took Karoline to meet everyone. It was then that the girl realized something about herself: she was shy. _Extremely _shy. With every new face she saw and every new name she learned, Karoline grew more and more nervous.

When it was just Elli, Volkanon, Venti, and eventually Vishnal, Karoline felt a bit uncomfortable, but not overwhelmed. She could handle four strangers alright. However, once four strangers became twenty, the anxiety set in. It was just too many people all at once and it didn't help that the girl was expected to lead them as their princess along with Elli.

Karoline knew next to nothing about herself and even less about the townsfolk. When one of them wanted to talk to her, all she wanted to do was hide in her room. The stress of it all was getting to her. With no one familiar to turn to, Karoline felt completely alone. Elli was there but she was just as much a stranger as the next guy. Karoline actually resented her slightly because of how easily she interacted with all the townsfolk. Being a leader seemed to come so naturally to her.

However, Karoline was still very grateful towards Elli. Her respect and fondness of the green-haired princess greatly overshadowed her resentment. She hoped that one day the two would be close enough that they could truly consider themselves sisters, or at least best friends. But, for now Elli was just another stranger in this strange town to Karoline and the brunette's introverted nature kept her from opening up much.

Her shyness aside, another issue Karoline faced was her actual princess duties. Since she was more or less just a substitute for Arthur, there was not much she had the power to do, but there was still a lot _to_ do. Everyone- and I mean _everyone_- seemed to need something from her. These needs came in the form of requests. Whether it was delivering a flower or defeating a monster, there was a request for it. Elli had already had practice with these demands and could plan them out into her schedule like a pro. Karoline, on the other hand, had no idea how to handle each request and soon found herself drowning in them.

It was all too much. It felt like everyone's eyes were on her and if she slipped up, there was no one to catch her. The pressure was suffocating.

However, Karoline's current- and frankly more important- issue was that she needed to learn how to fight. Monsters ranging from orcs to freaking giant mushrooms were located all around outside the town walls. Mostly, they stayed out of the town and minded their own business, but sometimes a few of them would get out of control. Hence, Karoline and Elli would receive requests to get rid of them.

The only problem with that was that Karoline had absolutely no clue how to fight! The short sword she held in her hand felt unnatural and heavy and seemed to resist her every swing like a stubborn child. According to Elli, her fighting stances were awkward and revealing, exposing her to most attacks. Unlike Karoline, Elli had past experience with combat- or at least it seemed that way with how well she handled a weapon- and could strike down five foes before Karoline managed to even hit one.

Unfortunately for the brunette, Elli decided it was best she learned on her own, instead of teaching her the basics. This left Karoline out in a mysterious forest, getting beaten up by stupid orcs as she tried not to drop her weapon like an imbecile. How humiliating.

Karoline glanced around her surroundings before huffing, "Why are we even out here again?" Thinking for a second, she suddenly remembered. "Oh, right. The butterfly problem."

The girl laughed dryly under her breath. The past two days, all anyone could talk about were these unusual attacks happening to travelers who entered the Yokmir Forest. Each and every one of them would be admitted into the clinic with grave injuries and describe a horrible butterfly monster who assaulted them. The first few cases were brushed off as people who were so panicked that they mistook what they saw. However, after several more travelers frightfully described the same thing, people started taking it seriously.

There were dozens of monsters inside the Yokmir Forest and almost no one dared go near it- except of course the brave or foolish foreigners. Perhaps there was a butterfly beast hidden within the depths of the forest that no one had encountered until now. Elli decided it was worth checking out, much to Karoline's dismay. The brunette was still skeptical about the whole "butterfly problem". Honestly, it seemed silly. Who's scared of a butterfly? Orcs maybe, but butterflies? That was stupid.

Karoline's thoughts were interrupted by the rustling of bushes nearby. The girl shot up, gripping her sword in front of her. Feeling the fear set in again, she gritted her teeth to stop the shaking.

"Alright, up for another round, are you?" Karoline laughed, trying to disguise her fright with humor. "I've already beaten four of your orc brothers. What's one more?"

"Ooo! Four orcs? I'm so scared!"

Groaning, Karoline lowered her weapon. "Where have you been Elli?"

The green-haired girl snickered and jumped out from behind the bush. "Just off beating up, oh, about twenty orcs. No big deal. I thought I'd drop by and see how my sis is doing. How ya doing?"

"Peachy."

"Good, good. I'll leave you to it then!"

"Wait!" Karoline snatched Elli's collar before she could run off. "Uh… maybe we could… stick together from here on out, okay?"

The teen smirked. "Oh, scared, are we?"

"Hmph," Karoline grumbled, "No, it's more like I don't want you to miss out on the butterfly monster if I find it first."

"Well isn't that thoughtful of you! Alright, let's go!"

Elli gestured further into the forest before prancing off; Karoline reluctantly followed. The pair of girls soon found themselves inside a large opening with a crystal clear river flowing through the path. The drop down into the water was about thirty feet and there was only a log in the middle to connect the two sides. On the other end, a couple of orc archers were scouting the area, their backs to the two princesses. No doubt crossing the log bridge would get their attention.

Karoline stopped hesitantly. She had no desire to become the world's largest quiver today. There had to be another way forward that did not leave them so exposed.

Impatiently, Elli seized her arm. "C'mon!" she whispered harshly, "Maybe if we sneak up on them, they won't notice."

Karoline shook her head. "It's too far. They'll see us before we're even halfway."

"Then what do you want to do? Wait here until they fall asleep?" Elli said, irritated.

"No, but… there's got to be another way through."

Studying her surroundings, Karoline looked for anything that could serve as a path to the other side. Nothing stuck out though, and after several seconds of silence, Elli lost her patience and huffed.

"There is no other way. We have to risk crossing the log. Maybe we could lure them onto the log and knock them off…"

"Are you insane?! We might fall too! That's a death drop into the river!"

"So? We can't just sit here trying to think up stupid plans!" Elli clenched her long sword. "I'm going!"

Annoyed, Karoline threw her hands up. "Fine! Get yourself killed! See if I care!"

If the green-haired girl heard what Karoline had snapped, she certainly didn't act like it. Still crouched, Elli swiftly made her way to the bridge, completely ignoring her fellow princess. She kept her eyes locked onto the orcs.

Karoline bit her lip. She didn't mean what she said, but Elli wouldn't listen to reason and she just lost her temper. If something happened to Elli, Karoline didn't know if she could forgive herself.

Sighing, Karoline moved closer towards the log. She didn't set foot on it, but she made sure she was near enough to react to any possible danger. From behind a tree, Karoline observed Elli slowly stalking the orcs. By some miracle, she had made it over halfway across the bridge, her sword at the ready. Karoline began to relax as it appeared her friend would be alright.

Then, the worst thing happened. Elli slipped. She didn't slip off the log, thankfully, but she did fall on her face and drop her weapon. The long sword clanged loudly against the bark, echoing through the trees. Elli herself let out a little squeak of surprise. From the commotion, the orc archers spun around and took aim on the green-haired princess.

Yelping as an arrow struck the bark a few inches from her head, Elli leapt to her feet and snatched her sword. Unfortunately, that only made her an easier target and the next two arrows only missed thanks to some quick dodging. Elli knew she couldn't just stand on the log, frozen in fear, so she broke into a sprint. However, as she sped towards the monsters, the two orcs shot more arrows her way, causing Elli to have to stop and duck. Regrettably, one arrow actually made contact with her arm.

"Ah! Ow!" Elli cried, clenching her limb, startled by the abrupt pain.

It was lucky arrows were magically enchanted. Once they touched skin, they vanished. All the force behind them stayed, causing it to feel like you had taken a hit, but the projectile never really broke the skin. A bruise might appear and the area would be sore for a while, but no blood would seep out.

While this was good at the moment, it was only arrows with this kind of enchantment. Most other weapons were as sharp and deadly as you would expect, such as the axe that one orc who attacked Karoline had. If Karoline had been chopped with that, blood would most definitely pour out.

Disoriented by the blow, Elli stumbled along the log, creating more noise. The orcs took this opportunity to nock more arrows. Karoline braced herself; she had had enough and jumped out from behind her tree.

"ELLI!"

Gasping, the green-haired girl flung her head around to stare at the brunette. The archers seemed taken aback as well. Instead of shooting at Elli, they quickly switch their target and aimed for Karoline. Or at least, they aimed for where they heard Karoline's voice, but she wasn't there anymore. The arrows stuck into the tree she used to be hiding behind, as she reached the edge of the log.

Raising an eyebrow, Karoline watched as the orcs swung their heads back and forth, trying to spot their enemies even though Elli was only a few feet in front of them. For some reason, they couldn't seem to see her. But why not?

Then, Karoline had an idea and, curious, picked up a rock. She hurled the stone at some bushes across the river to the orcs' left.

_Crunch!_

At the sudden noise, both orcs shot a flurry of arrows at the bushes. This gave Elli an opening to race off the log and slash the monsters from behind. As the pair fell and burst into white lights, Karoline thought for a second. Then, she clapped her hands together and beamed.

Elli glanced at her, panting. "What are you… so happy about?"

"I figured something out!" Karoline declared happily. "Orcs have poor eyesight and use their sense of hearing instead! That's why they stopped attacking you when you stopped moving and aimed for me when I shouted! They couldn't 'see' _you _anymore, but they could 'see' _me_!" The girl laughed. "Awesome!"

Snorting, Elli straightened herself out. "Well, don't you sound proud of yourself."

Karoline rolled her eyes. "You could at least thank me. I did just save you."

"Sure you did. I'm sure it was so hard throwing t- LOOK OUT!"

Elli's eyes widened ten sizes and she pointed frantically at something behind Karoline. Her breath hitching in her throat, Karoline spun around just in time to see another orc about to bring down its axe.

"Gah!"

The brunette scampered away, barely evading the blade. Instinctively, she reached down for her weapon… only to feel empty space. Her eyes widening just as big as Elli's, Karoline's hand fumbled all around her waist, desperately searching for her short sword.

It wasn't there. She had left it next to the tree.

Mentally smacking herself, Karoline continued to back away from the orc. She was defenseless. Panic rose up in her throat.

"Karoline!" Elli shouted. The brunette quickly glanced at her friend, only to turn her attention back to the orc. Elli took note of that. "Don't worry! I got you! Just watch it and keep backing up!"

Karoline's mind was completely blank, so all she could do was nod dumbly. How could she have forgotten her sword?! What kind of idiot was she?! She was inside a dangerous forest with orcs and ants and beetles of colossal size, and she left her sword over by a tree.

"S-stupid… so stupid," Karoline muttered angrily to herself.

"How about we test your little theory, shall we?" Elli said confidently from behind.

"Huh?"

Karoline didn't know what to think. What theory was she testing? Karoline was about to be murdered by a hideous monster! Now was not the time to experiment!

However, Elli had a huge grin on her face as she chucked a rock over the river. It knocked against a tree and, from the strength of Elli's throw, completely exploded into dust. The racket alarmed the orc so much that it fell over like a toddler. Under normal circumstances, Karoline might have laughed, but she decided that making no sound at all was best.

As the orc flopped about, attempting to find the source of the noise, Karoline twirled around and made her way towards Elli. However, she didn't get far when she noticed that the ground under her feet was a bit different. Gazing down, the girl realized that she was right in the middle of the log bridge and thirty feet below her was a raging river.

The water seemed to blur in and out of focus, sometimes only about two feet away and sometimes fifty. It was then that Karoline noticed her trembling hands. Sweat was pouring from her face. If her throat wasn't so closed up, Karoline might have yelped.

"_Oh no… don't tell me," _she begged inside her mind, _"Don't tell me I'm… afraid of… heights!"_

But as Karoline's knees tried to buckle from underneath her, she had to face it: she was terrified of heights. As she stared at the river, Karoline almost felt sick to her stomach and had to force herself not to hurl. The girl couldn't even feel ashamed of her anxiety; her head was swimming too fiercely.

"Karoline!" Elli cried, snapping the brunette out of her fear-induced trance. She was standing near a gate- the very thing the orc popped out of- trying to destroy it. "What are you doing?! Get over here!"

Her lip quivering, Karoline simply gawked at the green-haired teenager. How could she possibly go over there? Her feet were totally stuck to the log and refused to budge. One small blunder could send her toppling into the…

"_Oh dear… here comes the nausea again…"_

Karoline quickly covered her mouth and squeezed her left leg, hoping that the pain would distract her body enough to keep it from vomiting. It seemed to do the trick, but the girl was still trapped on the log with no will to move forward. From somewhere behind her, she heard the orc moving closer- no doubt using its poor eyesight as best it could. Within a few more moments, the monster would find Karoline and attack her again while she was still paralyzed with fear. She was doomed if she didn't do something immediately, but there was nothing she could do. She was unarmed…

Then, abruptly, an object clanged at Karoline's feet. Taken aback, the brunette gazed down to see a short sword staring back at her… _her_ short sword. The same sword, which had been lying next to a tree just a minute ago, was glaring at her as if it knew she had forgotten it like an idiot.

Karoline was stunned. How could the sword have possibly flown over to her? Had it sprouted wings and she just didn't notice? Elli couldn't have possibly gotten it; she was on the other side of the river attempting to break the magic gateway before more monsters crawled out.

There was no time for an answer. Elli took a quick glance at her friend and her face went pale.

"Karoline! Behind you!"

Gasping, the brunette saw out of the corner of her eye a jagged axe about to come down on her head. Reacting before she even knew what she was doing, Karoline snatched her sword, whirled around, and blocked the attack. Sparks flew of the blades, but the axe was stopped dead.

A newfound strength surged inside Karoline. Her brown eyes burned like a million flames as she rammed headlong with her blade. The shove caused the orc to stumble and swing its weapon wildly. Smirking, the girl deflected each strike with ease and advanced forth until the orc was on the edge of the log.

_Swish!_

The axe went flying through the air and into the river. Karoline had knocked it right out of the monster's hands. As it watched its weapon fall, the orc's small beady eyes filled with fear. When it tried to back up, its feet nearly slipped off the edge.

Sneering again, Karoline placed the end of her sword on the orc's chest. "Game over."

She stabbed with all her might. White lights danced in front of her eyes before sailing off past the trees. The orc was gone.

Her knees shaking, Karoline made her way off the log bridge, not daring to look down. Elli stood on the other side, her jaw practically scraping the ground. However, once the brunette gazed at her, she split into a huge grin.

"See? I knew there was a fighter in you," Elli laughed, giving her a thumbs-up. "You'll be just fine!"

Karoline stared at her friend, her eyes sparkling with gratitude. She mimicked Elli's smile.

"Thanks sis."

* * *

><p>Compared to the affair on the log, the rest of the forest was pretty uneventful. Karoline was slowly getting the hang of her swordsmanship and could almost keep up with Elli. Together, the princesses tore the monsters apart. They fought as one mind, working off each other's attacks to distract or corner the enemy.<p>

Pretty soon, they found themselves at the end of the forest. A swarm of butterflies, appearing out of nowhere, fluttered in front of a vine gateway before disappearing beyond. Elli and Karoline looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"That was… odd," Elli said, a nervous smile stretched on her face.

"Not the strangest thing I've seen today…" Karoline breathed.

She couldn't put her finger on how her sword had magically appeared in front of her. Elli was too preoccupied with the gate to notice anything unusual occurring and insisted that she had nothing to do with it. She was even farther from the short sword than Karoline after all.

It just didn't make sense, but that went for the whole forest. There was a strange atmosphere about Yokmir Forest, like everywhere you went there were eyes watching you. Karoline could feel it on the back of her neck; it made her hair stand on end. At one point, she could have sworn she saw a face glowering at her from up in a tree, like a bird watching its prey. The sight sent chills down her spine…

The brunette sighed. "Well, no use waiting out here. Shall we greet this butterfly monster?"

"I thought you'd never ask! Let's go!"

Practically skipping, Elli raced into the archway. Exhaling again, baffled by her friend's child-like behavior, Karoline sprinted after her.

Past the archway, the pair was inside another opening in the forest. However, instead of a river, there was a giant green pupa hanging from a thorny vine. Its body was covered in red spikes, matching the vine, and its yellow eyes bore into the girls.

Elli made a face. "Is that a… pupa?"

"That is indeed a pupa," Karoline said. She scrunched up her nose. "A gross, giant pupa."

Elli made a gagging noise, causing Karoline to giggle a little. However, the girls' joking was cut short when the "gross, giant pupa" started squirming and squeaking in rage.

Karoline jumped back and laughed nervously. "Uh oh… I think you made it mad."

Elli, on the other hand, did not laugh. She screwed up her face and stamped her feet like a child.

"Ew, ew, ew! It's moving! Disgusting!" She drew her long sword. "C'mon Karoline! Let's get rid of this thing!"

"I'm right behind you!"

* * *

><p>"Alright… okay," Karoline gasped, rubbing an injury on her side. "I can understand being afraid of a butterfly now."<p>

The gross pupa, after enduring a few hits, finally went through metamorphosis and transformed into a beautiful… killer butterfly. This was the monster everyone was talking about. The butterfly was humanoid in appearance, with massive purple and black wings that looked like they could poison you from one touch. Thorns weaved around the monster's arms and legs and, as Karoline had just experienced, could really pack a punch. Carnivorous plants formed the monster's skirt and shot out from its wrists. Large feelers stuck up from a mass of mossy green hair and its blank, yellow eyes bore into both girls.

The sight made Karoline shudder. "You got a plan?"

"I thought you were the plan maker," Elli teased, dodging a kick aimed at her chest.

"Now's really not the time for jokes."

"But I'm not joking! You made the plan last time, now do it again."

"You're crazy! I can't just pull a plan out of my brain in the middle of a fight! I- whoa!" Karoline jumped out of the way of a horde of butterflies that the monster sent her way. After missing the girl, the butterflies continued forward and shredded a nearby tree. Karoline cringed. "Glad I wasn't in the way for that."

"Sooooo... any ideas?" Elli asked impatiently.

The brunette glared at her. "You're impossible!" She paused for a moment. "Wait, let's just do what we've been doing!" She raised her sword. "I'll distract her…" Karoline slashed the left wing, causing the butterfly to twirl around and charge after her. "Then you do some damage!"

Elli didn't even need to be told; she had already pounced. While the monster was storming towards Karoline, the green-haired girl leapt forward and cut straight up the beast's back. Enraged, it roared and flailed its arms and legs like a child throwing a tantrum. That apparently did a lot more than "some damage".

"_Perfect," _Karoline thought. _"Now it's my turn."_

The butterfly monster began targeting Elli, completely ticked off at her surprise attack. It whirled around in circles, attempting to knock into one of the girls. Using this to her advantage, Karoline kept right behind the monster and, when it got tired and stopped turning, jammed her sword deep into the spot between its shoulder blades. No blood leaked out and the wound healed instantly, but another screech from the butterfly told them that their attacks were having an effect.

Almost red with fury, the butterfly lashed out at Karoline. The girl maneuvered away gracefully and held up her sword, smirking. Elli grinned cockily as well, ready to end the battle.

The princesses nodded. "Together!"

Before the monster could react, both girls charged headfirst at it, eyes gleaming and hearts pounding. At the very same moment, Karoline made a diagonal cut across the monster's chest while Elli made a diagonal cut across its back. The monster's yellow eyes gave one last look of shock before it fell and burst into the beautiful white lights.

Grinning like a couple of idiots, the girls gave each other a high-five.

"We did it!"

"Yeah! That was awesome! We're heroes!" Elli winked at her friend. "Great plan, plan maker!"

"Maybe there's hope for me yet," Karoline chuckled, blushing.

"Heh, yeah…" Elli grew quiet.

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"Um… was there always a girl there?" she asked, pointing to where the monster fell.

Looking down, Karoline's jaw dropped. A little girl, smaller than both her and Elli, was lying on the ground. She had a bright pink and green dress on with bows and ribbons running throughout. Her hair was the same green color as her dress and had a purple ribbon tied on one side. Little pink feelers peeked out of her hair, resting uselessly. All and all, the petite girl was adorable.

Opening her eyes slightly, she groaned. Elli jumped to her side.

"Are you okay?!"

Karoline stood next to her, gazing at the lass with a concerned look. However, when the girl saw both of the princesses, she smiled and giggled.

"Hee hee… you two… have funny faces…"

"Huh?" Elli and Karoline said simultaneously.

But the mysterious child said no more. She had passed out. Both girls glanced at each other awkwardly. Neither knew what to do.

Karoline kept switching her gaze from Elli to the girl, as if expecting one of them to start explaining. "Why did a butterfly turn into a person?"

Then, as if on cue, the laid-back dwarf himself, Doug, walked up. "What's wrong?"

Both princesses gasped and drew their weapons. Doug stepped back and laughed uneasily.

"Hey, wait! I'm not a monster! Take it easy!"

"Doug? What are you doing here?" Elli asked, sheathing her sword again.

The dwarf seemed to shift uncomfortably, his hand in his messy red hair. "Oh I just happened to be walking by. But forget about me for a sec…" He bent down and examined the unconscious girl. "Who's this?"

Biting her lip, Elli looked to Karoline. She didn't know how to explain what had just transpired. Karoline understood and nodded.

"Well, you see…"

She explained the entire thing about how the butterfly monster had, once it was defeated, transformed into this human girl. Doug looked at them like they were crazy.

"Monsters turning into humans? I've never heard of such a thing."

Elli shrugged and Karoline just gawked at the girl. Even after all the insane things they had seen today, the girls agreed that this one took the cake.

"What the heck is going on here?" Doug wondered out loud. He let the silence sit for a minute before crossing his arms and saying, "I guess we should take her back to town and let Jones take a look at her."

The teenage girls nodded, ready to leave. They had had enough of this crazy forest anyway.

* * *

><p><strong>So to sum up, Karoline's shy and insecure, Elli's impatient and optimistic, Amber's adorable, and Doug is Doug. That sounds good to me! XD<strong>


	3. The Princesses

**Okay, I felt I should put this in to explain the characters a little better. Some things have already been said and some have not, but I wanted you guys to understand the two girls more. **

**I have also decided to write this story as if the year is a full 365 days, so they use the months like January and February instead of the seasons. I added what their birthday would be in Rune Factory just to give you an idea. Neither Elli nor Karoline remember their exact birthday- just the estimate. **

**Anyway, I hope this helps you guys understand them better. :)**

* * *

><p><span>Name<span>: Elli

Age: 19

Birthday: Between March 23-26 -cannot fully remember (this is about Spring 2)

Hair: Green, straight and cut at waist, kept in two long pigtails

Eye Color: Green

Height: 5'3"

Personality: Elli is the bubbliest person you will ever meet. She is hyper, girly, outgoing, and cares deeply for all the people in Selphia. She is great at compromise and never stops until everyone's happy. The flip-side to this is that she can be impatient and go too far, intruding on matters that are not her business. Despite being almost an adult, Elli still holds onto her child-like energy and outlook. She is forever optimistic and does not give up. This stubbornness endears her to some and annoys others; however, this makes her the perfect partner for Karoline as she keeps her going and foils her more pessimistic views. She can be serious, though, and never fails to come to someone's rescue should the need arise, making her the perfect princess.

Favorite Colors: Pink and green

Ideal Weapon: All except for magic-based weapons, prefers axes and long swords

Rival: Vishnal

* * *

><p><span>Name<span>: Karoline

Age: 18

Birthday: Between February 10-13 -cannot fully remember (this is about Winter 17)

Hair: Brown, wavy and cut at shoulders, kept down

Eye Color: Brown

Height: 5'6"

Personality: Karoline is nearly the exact opposite of Elli. She is shy, insecure, introverted, and a tomboy to boot. She is also the more responsible one of the two, despite being younger. She plans things out thoroughly and manages the money so that Elli does not squander all of it in one day. Her composure and patience makes her the perfect foil for Elli's personality; not to mention, she has quite the sarcastic streak. Even though she avoids people in most cases, she actually wants the townsfolk to like her. She is scared of the idea that no one wants her around, so she tries her best to please everyone, making her a bit of a perfectionist. Karoline's insecurity comes from having amnesia as she does not know how to believe in herself and often quietly argues with herself. Behind her timidity is an intelligent girl who has a lot to say.

Favorite Colors: Blue, purple, and green

Ideal Weapon: Dual blades and magic-based weapons

Rival: Dylas


	4. Making Friends

**Happy New Year everybody! I hope you enjoyed your break (if you had one)! Sadly this chapter has been sitting on my computer for a while and I only just now thought to upload it. So sorry! **

**A shout-out for "M": Thanks! I know I'm not the best at beginnings, but I have a lot planned for this story. I hope you like it. :D**

**Well, on to the story!**

* * *

><p>Karoline stared at the small, unconscious girl with anxious eyes. She was in the clinic, sitting in a chair across from the patient's bed, after dragging the girl from the forest into town. Doug left her and Elli quickly to go do his own thing, so the two carried her to the clinic themselves. So far, nothing had changed and the child was still sleeping.<p>

From behind her, Karoline could hear Jones and Elli talking.

"Is she going to be alright Dr. Jones?"

"Yes, she should be fine. She's a bit debilitated, but nothing critical. She should wake up in a bit."

Karoline perked up slightly at that. The girl would be alright after all.

Karoline was not sure why she was getting so attached to this girl. They had not even officially met, and yet the princess could not help but feel concerned for her safety. Perhaps it was because she saved the little butterfly child from an unusual position and felt responsible for what happened to her.

"_Is this how Elli felt when she took me in?" _Karoline thought. She gripped her pants. _"I should thank her sometime…"_

"She… was a monster, you say?" Jones asked, catching Karoline's attention.

Elli nodded. "Yeah."

"Why did a monster…?" the doctor paused, "…I suppose if I start asking questions now, I'll never stop. And it won't do any good anyway. Let's wait for her to wake up and then see what she has to say."

"That sounds good, yeah," Elli said sadly. Her eyes low, she didn't appear to like that idea at all. She wanted to know right then.

Karoline felt the same way. All these questions with no answers were driving her crazy. Her mind was practically empty with nothing but unknowns to fill it. One mystery replaced another; one question created a new one. There was no end in sight for this dark tunnel.

"Have you told Lady Ventuswill about this?" Jones asked.

Both Elli and Karoline straightened in shock. Telling Venti about the incident had not even occurred to them. The two glanced at each other and, with a nod, Karoline got up from the chair, moving towards the door.

Elli smiled, walking backwards to leave. "Not yet, but we'll go tell her right now."

"Okay, we need to continue monitoring the girl, at least for a little while," Jones explained.

"Sounds good." With a wave, Elli turned around and left the clinic with Karoline.

Outside, the warm spring air brushed against their cheeks with flower petals falling all around. Cherry blossoms grew on almost every tree. The sky was a crystal clear blue, like a vast ocean up above their heads.

Selphia was quite beautiful; Karoline had to admit at least that. She would not admit that it was a great town or that it was where she belonged quite yet, but a feeling of content often flooded through her when she admired the scenery. At least during quiet walks, Karoline could say she was happy.

Unfortunately, Elli made sure this was _not_ a quiet walk. "You know, you didn't say a word in there."

"Huh?" Karoline raised an eyebrow, confused. "In where?"

"The clinic, obviously. You didn't say a word of thanks or concern or really anything the whole time."

"Uh, was I supposed to?"

"Yes!" Elli said, shaking her head like it was obvious. "You can't just ignore people!"

Karoline blushed and lowered her head slightly. "I don't really know them yet. I didn't have anything to say."

"You don't know them, so you _talk_ to them! That's how you get to know people, Karoline!" Elli sighed. "Geez, you hardly talk to anyone."

Glaring, the brunette clenched her fists. "I just met everyone a week ago! You can't expect me to become best friends with all the townsfolk right away!"

Elli crossed her arms, rolling her eyes. "Oh please, I was practically friends with everyone by my second day."

"Well I'm not you!" Karoline shouted, "I can't just be all buddy-buddy with people I recently met! I have difficulty talking at all. I need time to get used to them and get to know them." She glanced sadly at her feet. "I'm not you, Elli."

Exhaling, Elli thought for a moment as they reached the square. Then, she winked at her fellow princess.

"Not to worry! I'll make sure to break you out of your shell, sis!"

"I don't like the sound of that," Karoline said cautiously, backing up a step.

Snickering, Elli grabbed the brunette's hand before she could get too far. "First thing's first: we go talk to Venti about the butterfly girl. Then, we find you another friend; one who isn't an amnesic princess or an all-powerful dragon."

"Oh dear…" Karoline breathed, cringing. Today was going to be a long day.

With that, the two girls entered Ventuswill's chamber. The dragon sat as she always did: her head held high with her vibrant wings incasing most of her body. When she saw the princesses walking towards her, she smiled a little.

"Oh, Elli, Karoline. Is something the matter?"

"Well, I wouldn't say something is the matter," Elli brushed her off nonchalantly, "Buuuut… okay, Karoline and I were in Yokmir Forest just now-"

"Yokmir Forest?!" Venti interrupted, her jawing dropping in shock.

Both girls jumped. Neither had expected the dragon to react so violently to something as simple as where they were. It wasn't like it was a secret. The whole town knew that the two had been in the forest often as of late.

"W-why are you surprised at that?" Karoline asked. "That's not even the surprising part!"

Composing herself, Venti laughed nervously. "O-oh yeah, I suppose not…"

Elli and Karoline glanced at each other, eyebrows furrowed. When they looked back at the dragon, Venti only forced a smile.

Shaking her head, Elli continued, "Anyway, we were in Yokmir forest when we were attacked by this butterfly monster."

"The same monster the tourists have mentioned," Karoline added.

"Right, so we fought back… but when we defeated it, it turned into a little human girl."

If Venti was shocked before, she was positively flabbergasted by this information. "What?! Are you serious?!"

"Whoa!"

Her booming voice was so loud that Karoline actually fell over. However, Venti seemed to pay this no mind.

"Wh-where is she?!"

Elli put her hands up. "Wait, Venti! Calm down! She's asleep at the clinic. Jones says she should wake up soon."

Gazing at the floor, the dragon let out what sounded like a sigh of relief. "I-I see… That means… you two really are…"

Picking herself off the floor, Karoline raised an eyebrow and stared curiously at Venti, waiting for her to finish. Elli mimicked her expression. After a brief moment of silence, Venti shook her head.

"Uh, nothing. Never mind."

Elli puffed out her cheeks, not buying a word. "Venti, what do you know?"

"I, er…" the divine dragon paused, "Well, fine. I _was_ going to ask you two to go to Yokmir Forest."

"Really?"

"You were?"

Venti nodded. "I sensed something dark from that area, so I was going to ask the two of you to check it out once you got settled and understood your duties."

"But… why us?" Karoline asked, not sure how they were any use to a god. The girls were practically children compared to her and not all that strong. Without their memories, they didn't have much to offer.

"Usually I undergo tasks such as this myself, but I'm…" Venti cut off. She seemed hesitant to say anymore, as if the very words pained her. She brushed it off, though, and continued. "At any rate, you seemed suitable to the task."

"We did? Two amnesiacs with only some or no combat experience?" the brunette questioned skeptically.

"Yes. You two have talent in you. I can see it… I can feel it."

"Talent…?" Karoline whispered, scoffing as if it was a joke. "What talent do I have?"

Neither Elli nor Ventuswill heard her. The green-haired princess was still staring questionably at the dragon, her arms crossed and hip cocked. She could tell there was something Venti was hiding from them and she wanted to know. There were already too many unanswered questions.

Venti cleared her throat. "It doesn't matter. Even without me requesting, you two still went. The result was the same."

Elli narrowed her eyes before biting her lip. "Um, Venti?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you sure you don't know anything about us?"

Venti looked a little surprised. "What?"

Her eyes falling, Elli gripped the hem of her skirt. "To be honest, I'm worried. Without my memories… I have so many questions." She glanced at Karoline. "And I bet you do too, Karoline."

Silently, the brunette gave a small nod. Elli gazed back up at her dragon friend.

"So if you know anything—anything at all—please tell us, okay?"

Some birds twittering outside were the only noises to be heard. Venti watched the two princesses hold their breath for an answer, her mouth sealed shut. They were practically pleading for any kind of clarity to their situation. It was a rather sad display of helplessness.

Venti sighed. "Unfortunately, I really don't know anything about you two." At the sight of the girls' dejected expressions, she attempted to change the subject. "Regarding that girl you saved, I believe the power of the Earthmates is responsible for what transpired."

"That's what we are… right?" Karoline asked timidly, gesturing to herself and Elli.

"Yes, it's a name given to people with a very rare talent. Though, considering that there's two of you right in front of me, I'm starting to wonder if it's very rare at all," Ventuswill joked. "It's also why I thought Elli might be a member of the royal family."

Karoline put her finger to her chin. "It's… odd to think that such a power exists… and even odder to think that we have it in us."

"Yeah," Elli agreed, "We have a strange power… and we can't even remember…"

She trailed off, causing Venti to give her a look of concern. "What's wrong?"

There was a brief silence. Then, the green-haired girl shook her head.

"Who am I?" Elli mumbled so that Karoline and Venti could barely hear. "Who are we?" She questioned louder, her fist clenched. "…What are we? Everything that has happened, from being attacked by a monster who turns into a human to knowing that we bear the power of the Earthmates, is all so surreal. I feel like I'm a stranger to myself."

Although she said nothing in response, Karoline couldn't help but wordlessly agree. This "Karoline" person, who was apparently shy, afraid of heights, and an Earthmate, was a mystery that she didn't have the ability to solve. She was a stranger that the brunette would have to live with for the rest of her life.

Ventuswill seemed to understand. "I wish I could shed some light on this mystery. But there's only one thing I can say with any certainty. And that is… that you two are who you are." The dragon beamed. "You managed to handle both my requests and tasks as model princesses. You two are kind people. I don't think you're even aware of the trust that you engender. Even amnesia can't change hearts as pure as yours."

Stunned by the kind words, the pair of princesses gaped at the dragon like she was the most beautiful being they had ever seen. Elli's mouth ran dry and Karoline could only let out a soft, "Venti…"

Suddenly feeling bashful, Ventuswill laughed nervously. "Heh, sorry. I'm… not good at this sort of thing. I wish I could word it all a little better."

"No," Elli cut in, a smile finally gracing her face, "That's alright. Having no memories is a little scary… but we're not alone and your words definitely make me feel a lot better. Right, Karoline?"

"Right," she agreed with a small grin. "So thank you."

Embarrassed, Venti blushed slightly. "Glad to hear it." She cleared her throat. "Back on the topic of the girl… you said she hasn't woken up yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Well, then we'll have to wait until she does."

Karoline bit her lip. "When she does, what will you do?"

The dragon chuckled. "Don't worry. This town is filled with warm and caring people. They'll welcome her no matter what."

Smirking, Elli looked impressed with a side of condescending. "Well, aren't you optimistic?"

Despite the obvious compliment (though a little patronizing), Ventuswill appeared outraged. "What?! It's not optimism, it's faith! Pure, unwavering faith in the people of Selphia!"

Both Elli and Karoline giggled at her argument. They enjoyed the chance to tease Venti, even if she was a god ten times their size with divine powers. To them, she was like a true friend.

Venti was less than pleased. "Oh sure, laugh now, but I'll get you two later." She paused. "Also, remember that this applies to you two as well."

Straightening herself, Elli raised an eyebrow, still smiling. "What?"

"You and Karoline are a part of this community too," Venti explained. "Even if your memories return and you have to leave, remember that you will always have a home here in Selphia."

A warm feeling filled Karoline's heart. She had a home. Even if she wasn't born here, Selphia was her home. That sense of belonging seemed to pull several pounds of weight off her shoulders. If all else failed—if she never regained her memories—Karoline had a place to go.

"Okay."

"Now, you two must be tired," Venti said. "Rest early today!"

Elli smiled and waved, linking her arm with Karoline. "We will, we will! See ya later, Venti!"

"Bye Venti."

The pair left the chamber, their spirits just a bit brighter than they had been before. Once outside, Elli released Karoline and stretched her arms out.

"Yep, I do believe we deserve a break after all that craziness. Maybe I'll go shopping." She turned to the brunette. "You wanna come?"

Throwing her hands up, Karoline laughed dryly. "Ha, nooooo way! I know what you're like when you shop. I made that mistake yesterday." She visibly shuddered dramatically.

Placing her hands on her hips, Elli pouted. "What do you mean? What's wrong with my shopping?"

"Well, you take hours browsing _one_ shelf, for one thing," the tomboy explained matter-of-factly. "Second, you can't decide between two items until someone tells you what to buy and then you buy the opposite of what they told you. Do you have any idea how annoying that is? And third, I just don't like shopping period."

"Pssh! You just don't understand. Silly little tomboy," Elli said coolly, sticking out her tongue.

Raising an eyebrow, Karoline gazed down at the green-haired girl with arms crossed. Her lips were stuck in a permanent straight line and no words escaped them. Eventually, Elli got the message and groaned.

"Uh, fine! I'll go alone, you jerk. You'd be no fun anyway."

Sticking out her tongue again, the girl strutted off, her nose in the air. Karoline knew Elli was only putting up an act and that she wasn't actually mad, so all she could do was snicker a little at the theatrical display. Elli was a character all right, if a bit immature. It was hard to believe that she was older than Karoline. From the way Elli behaved, Karoline first assumed that she was at least a couple years older than her. Turns out she was dead wrong.

She laughed at the thought. "Now," the brunette said quietly to herself, "What to do? Maybe I should-"

Before she could decide on anything, though, something hard and pointed crashed into her back, knocking the girl over. She landed face-first on the ground, unable to catch herself in time, and got a mouthful of dirt. Coughing, Karoline was slowly lifting herself up when a voice cried out.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Are you alright? Ah-!"

It was a boy's voice, sounding distressed. Karoline turned around to look. A teenager, about Elli's height, with short blond hair smiled sheepishly at the girl, peeking behind a tower of books in his hands. The books, Karoline figured, were what smacked into her; the tower of volumes swayed and threatened to completely collapse, causing the boy to stumble about.

Quickly jumping to her feet, Karoline grabbed the top half of the stack. Surprisingly, it was not all that heavy to her and the boy managed to regain his footing thanks to his load being lightened. After he collected himself, the teenager looked up at Karoline, the tip of his hair scarcely reaching her forehead when he straightened out. His large, blue-grey eyes shined as he smiled at her.

"Thanks! That could have ruined all these books if I'd dropped them. I don't know what I'd have done then, but—oh!" The boy's eyes widened with shock. "You're one of the princesses!" He began to panic. "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize that you were—ah, I hit you with my books! I'm so sorry, princess!"

"Whoa! Whoa, calm down," Karoline laughed, "It's alright. I know you didn't mean to do that." She was blushing from all the fuss he was making over her. "I'm not even a _real_ princess anyway."

"Oh, right, heh," the boy said, beaming again. He took a second to study Karoline before speaking once more. "You're Karoline, right?"

"Yes, I am… um…" the princess began. Flushing a darker pink, she realized that she had never actually gotten this boy's name when Elli introduced her to the town. She remembered seeing this boy and saying "hi" to him, but no other pleasantries were said. In fact, Karoline hardly remembered anybody's name. What kind of princess was she?! "I-I'm sorry, but could you tell me…"

"Hmm?" The blond boy thought for a moment. Then, he gasped. "Oh! You don't know my name!"

Karoline hid her face slightly behind the books. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I was a bit distracted when we met and… I'm bad with names."

Smiling, the teenager laughed. "No worries! You're still new here. My name's Kiel."

"Nice to meet you Kiel," Karoline said, finally cracking a smile, "I'm… well I guess you already know my name."

"Yep!"

The two teens laughed a little at that. Adjusting the books in her hand, Karoline took the time to read a few of the covers. Most appeared to be novels only for entertainment purposes, but one seemed to be a history book and another looked like a guide for magic. Altogether, there were about a dozen books, which caused Karoline to furrow her eyebrows.

"Why do you have all these books, anyway?"

"Oh, well I came across this traveler who was selling them," Kiel explained, "It seemed a shame to let all these books go to waste, so I bought them, thinking I could make some use of them. After all, nothing's better than reading a good book on a lazy day!"

Karoline beamed. "Yeah, that sounds awesome."

A lazy day? She couldn't remember having any of those yet. Every second of Karoline's day had been consumed by either her princess duties or her training. Curling up to a good book and relaxing sounded like the best thing ever.

As if reading her mind, Kiel asked, "Hey, do you like books? If you do, I can let you borrow some of these. Oh, and I have some more at home too!"

"You'd let me do that?"

"Of course! I can't read all these books at once!" he laughed.

For the first time, Karoline felt herself getting giddy. A few minutes ago, she could hardly speak with anyone besides Elli and Venti. The very thought of being alone with a stranger made her shrink down inside herself. Now, however, she was chatting with a boy she had just met as easily as a childhood friend. Suddenly, Selphia didn't seem so intimidating.

Breaking into a wide grin, Karoline nodded fiercely. "Yes! I would love to have some books!"

"Cool!" Kiel exclaimed, almost as excited as her, "Come on!" He began to walk towards the left side of town, waving Karoline over. "You can look at all the books at my house and pick a few. I was just going to make some sweets too!"

Gripping her books even tighter, the brunette felt her mouth watering. "Sweets?" Blushing a little, embarrassed by how eager she was getting, Karoline laughed lightly and walked with Kiel. "Books and sweets? Oh geez, stop! At this rate, I might not want to leave your house!"

The boy snorted along with her. They laughed at how strange and amazing friendship could be. Five minutes ago, they were total strangers, but now, the pair were giggling like old friends enjoying an inside joke. To Karoline, this made Selphia feel even more like her home and she was happy.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, as Kiel and Karoline walked down the stairs to the housing district, Elli watched from afar, a sly grin on her face. Having realized she left her purse at home, the green-haired girl came back to retrieve it, only to see her introverted friend chatting it up with a boy in the square. The entire time the pair talked, Elli was there eavesdropping. Once they left, she couldn't hide her smirk.<p>

"Well, it looks like you finally found a new friend, sis! And all on your own!" she chuckled, her eyes gleaming. "That's very good! Next up is…" Elli raised an eyebrow, amused by her idea. "Finding you a boyfriend."

Karoline had no idea the kind of danger she was in.

* * *

><p><strong>Karoline is making friends and Elli is making schemes. Look out Karoline! You're gonna be in trouble if Elli has her way. X3<strong>


End file.
